DannyGirl~ wrote:Glancing upwards as an unfamiliar voice rang through the air, Cherokee immediately jumped to her feet and dropped the box she'd been holding. Something was definitely wrong. While Cherry had dealt with numerous stalkers and all around creeps in her days, this man gave off a much darker vibe. What was going on? Who was he and why was he at Kios' and Danyell's home. "Well it wasn't exactly for you to see." She explained calmly, briefly glancing down to her gift before studying the man over. If push came to shove, Cherry new that she couldn't take him head on. After all, she wasn't as young as she used to be, and even back then she'd only been a healer. The bubbly woman had never taken to the idea of fighting or truly injuring another individual personally... It was against her nature. Pausing a moment to consider her other options, Cherokee could only come up with two. In that circumstance, the easiest solution for her would've been to head inside, where she'd have the protection of her husband and best friend. It was her best option indeed. However Sango and Tsubaki where inside as well, playing happily upstairs... Save and sound. If she resorted to plan one then she'd be putting her children in potential danger, despite how drastically her it improved her own chances of safety. So that only left her with option two. Reacting in a jolt as heat surrounded her and the man leapt forward, the ginger woman flung her arms up to trap the man's in a cuffing made of ice before sprinting off in the opposite direction. There had to be a way to get help without putting her family in danger... She just had to think of something. However she'd never been good at planning anything under pressure, since Kama usually took care of things like that for her.

As the red cloaked man reached for her, ge was surprised by the sudden action of getting his hands caught up in ice. Taken back by the action, Cherry managed to duck out of his grasp 'Not many people have the courage to act against me...' he thought to himself 'Most don't react in time or are too busy s@#$ing their pants.' He looked at the cuffs of ice, a massive toothy grin formed, his crimson eyes burned like two embers as they bore into Cherry "Hehehe...I'm trembling with excitement! Now...the real hunt begins~♡"

Giving the woman a courteous 30 second head start, The cloaked man easily shattered the ice as heat radiated off him and he shot forward. "Oy! You sure do move well for a pregnant woman" he called out to her, running after her like a hound chasing a hare. "Hey now...are you really trying that hard to get away from me?" He spoke in a mock offended tone, pouting as he did so "that just hurts! But, ya know...i think we just got off on the wrong foot" his cloak flourished as he took out an arm, flames beginning to dance around it "how about we start over with a good ol' game of tag? If you don't mind..." Flames fully engulfed his arm as he smiled roaring out "I'LL BE IT!!!" He sent a torrent of flames forward, the blaze soaring past her, only narrowly missing her, emitting a unprecedented level of heat as they flew out, "Oh! Whoops, don't wanna burn that bun in the oven...too much anyway, Hahaha haha!" His uproarious laugh filled the air, as his eyes shone with a predatory fury unmatched by some animals, one glance and it was clear that he wasn't chasing a person...to him...this was nothing more than chasing down game.

Obviously holding off on straight out capturing her, he merely tossed flames around her, he quickly ascended to the high ground into the trees as he jumped and swung through them with ease, sling out fire balls that blasted and crackled around her like big cherry bombs, as though he was playing with her. Growing bored, he looked forward as his body began to light up with fire. Shooting his hand up, the air hissed from the heat as a large chain of explosions ripped through the path ahead. Trees consumed by the furry collapsed onto the ground in a inferno, blocking the route in front of her. Leaping out of the trees before she could fully think of going anywhere else, he lauched two balls of flame that exploded on the right and left sides, dousing the areas in flames...and leaving one last route, the path that the Red Hood stood upon as he causally walked, the embers dancing around him as he chuckled lowly.

Stopping as he blocked her path he gave a nonchalant smile, "Man...you SUCK at tag..." he stated as he placed his hands on his hips, "It was noble of you to try and lead me away from the rest of your family, what a true hero...risking have them suffer the grief of losing their mother, a wife, and friend...not too mention risking your own unborn child" he began to clap slowly as he continued in his pepper tone, "Truly a model hero~ Now, enough ass kissing..." he crossed his arms as he glared at her "I suggest you submit...after all, stress is bad for the baby...and stressing ME out can be fatal..."

As Lnna roared out what Lissandra had assumed to be her last exclamation, the young woman drew in one last breath before sending forth her final attack. A last stitch effort to swiftly bring their battle to an end once and for all. Unfortunately, Liss didn’t see any other choice set before her. All her efforts to reason with the older woman had failed, and she didn’t believe it was still possible for both of them to walk away with their lives spared. One of them was going to die. The realization caused her stomach to drop, before twisting into painful knots as she sent her fiery comet down to engulf the dome born from darkness. Perhaps she’d developed her idea for such an attack while engaging in one of her favorite activities; cooking. Heating the oven with her senshitsu had been one of the most difficult aspects in learning how to cook, and she put a lot of effort into mastering it. Sure at first things came out burnt, or cold in the center, but after studying ovens pretty extensively she managed to perfect the skill. This was essentially no different, and she’d practiced it over the years with burnt offerings at the shrine. At least that’s what she called it out of respect for Ren. In reality, she’d really just been blowing various foods up in the forest.

However, even despite all that preparation, she’d never stopped to consider that one day she might actually use the brutal attack in a real battle. If she was being perfectly honest, Lissandra had never even stopped to consider that she’d eventually face someone in serious combat. Such things had seemed to live and die along with her parents teenage years, along with all other dangers she’d once viewed as ‘exciting’.

In reality the very real possibility of killing another human being, or being killed herself, left an indescribably bitter taste on her tongue. Especially considering Lnna herself didn’t seem to be a bad person. She was also just fighting on behalf of her family.

It was like Liss was sleeping, trapped within a nightmare, and although she knew it was just that she couldn’t wake up.

She knew all the facts, and the motives, behind her opponents actions. Yet, there was still no way to change the situation, or Lnna’s viewpoint.

As Lnna managed to shoot out one last burst of water, Lissandra drew in a deep breath and tried to stay calm. Her clothing was torn and tattered, adorned with the warm crimson blood oozing from the deep cuts running up her fit frame. Frankly speaking she was a little worse for wear. She could feel the sting from each bruise plastered across her tanned skin, and was so sore she could hardly move around all that much anymore.

Flinching in anticipation as the woman’s water split to avoid her flames before launching back at her, the young woman's gaze began to flicker involuntarily. She’d lost consciousness enough amongst her years of training to know when she’d reached her limit, and she was there. A few more minutes and she’d be out cold. Wincing was the water suddenly rushed past her, Liss was shocked to discover her her wounds began to feel light. Much in contrast to her eyelids. After Lnna’s words filled her mind, the girl glanced down in horror to the blonde who was barely living inside a swiftly melting ice barrier. It was all Liss could to do act on instinct at that point.

Abruptly thrusting her hands upward to avoid hurting the other women any further, the auburn haired maiden cut of her bursts of fire as quickly as she could but still ended up shooting down into the ground with much more impact than intended. Thanks to her earlier healing, Lissandra managed to retain her consciousness as she forced herself to sit up. After a few minutes had passed she managed to shake off her stunned mindset and stumble to her feet, her legs shaking as she ran over to check on her previous opponent.

“Lnna! Lnna, are you alright?” She called out in a panic as she allowed her dark dome to subside and glanced into the mostly melted icy barrier. Tears beginning to streak down her cheeks as she scanned the woman over. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t want… I didn’t think I could r-reason with you at that point…” The young woman explained frantically, her posture stiff with tension as she prayed it wasn’t too late.

Naro wrote:Rohan began reading the books he took from the shelf and took a few seconds to acknowledge zachs questions, it wasn't because he didn't care... he actually did. Even more then you'll think... his mind was clouded by Judah's death, and the thought of what would've happened if only he got there a few minutes earlier. Would he had been able to save zofia? Maybe she wouldn't be dead if Rohan was there to help her against Judah... he closed the book and turned to face the rest "I didn't see when she died, I wasn't there when it happened... I did see her killer bragging about how he had finished her moments earlier. I didn't see a body either since it probably turned into sand" he finished think of what her mom was going to say... maybe he shouldn't tell her. It could harm the baby... the stress could be bad for her too "if you see my mother please don't tell her that she died, I know that they were good friends but... I don't think she can handle the news and it can be bad for the baby... so please don't tell her... yet" he began reading the books again trying to concentrate on the writing "Leios, I'm going after the fire warlord... I'm a bit hurt so... I... I'll be needed your assistance until I get to natsumi or my mom"

Derekjay2000 wrote:Staring as the events unfolded, he glanced at Kamila who was equally confused and shocked. He didn't know why, or the circumstances of the matter...but obe thing was clear. They just witnessed murder, Glaring harshly at Leios...Takumi's protective instincts had him standing in front of Kamila with his hand resting on his bow. Though he relented when it seemed that Leios trusted him, however the trust he had in Leios slightly diminished. Glaring at Rohan, Takumi ignored his questions about them, his gaze moved to Leios as he mentioned compensation. Nodding silently he watched them move out "...Right, we're here for our country's sake...and your pocket..." he mumbled as he glanced at Kamila, moving with her "...certainly an unexpected turn..." he tried to joke, but took Kamila's silence as a sign to shut it.

Making their way into the library, Takumi looked around in awe. He had remembered this place from his mom's stories, and a strange sense of pride filled him as he stood in the place that the heroes met right before facing off against Jove. Pulled from his thoughts as Leios voice got his attention he was taken back by the sight of the renowned Kios and Danyell. Feeling a growing agitation bubble in him, he stood straight as he tried to relax, eyeing them up...he didn't like meeting people...much less with heroes who he was compared to. Taking his time to relax his anxiety, he glanced at Kamila who seemingly calm seemed to be hiding herself away. Opening his mouth to ask, he decided against speaking as he simply nodded. Moving in front of her more, he stood...unsure of the problem but wanting to keep her from it nonetheless.

The next moment with Rohan speaking of Zofia is a matter entirely. Standing as his eyes widening, hearing the words but hoping rhey weren't true "Aunt Zofia is dead!?" He asked/yelled as a sickness grew in his stomach, looking down and holding his head he clenched his teeth. The woman whom his mother was so very close with, and the one he called auntie whenever he would visit with his mother...it was an overwhelming motion that she was gone.

Through that he had forgotten that Leios introduced them. Looking up, Takumi clenched his fist as he tried to cease his trembling, cleaning his throat he spoke "S-sorry" hos voice peaked a bit, before resuming a normal tone, "My name is Takumi...Takumi Skyslayer" he spoke as he glanced up at them, giving Zach a hard and sympathetic look. Glancing back at Kamila with a sorrowful look he simply motions to her. A silent way of saying 'say something or be queit if you wish'. He returned his attention to the task at hand, "I represent the collective body of Fuji and her people."

DannyGirl~ wrote:Danyell's warm brown eyes softened with a clear expression of sympathy, and understanding, as she studied Zachariah. The poor man seemed to be on the verge of pulling out his brown mop of hair after taking in the new. Honestly, she wasn't far from that herself. Nothing messed with her quite like the thought of something bad happening to her family. Letting out a long prolonged sigh as she slowly rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, the overprotective mother took a few moments to collect herself before straightening her posture. Despite running on little to no sleep, Danyell knew she couldn't afford to let her concern consume her. It was too late to stop her children from acting rash. Stressing out wouldn't help anyone out right now.

Slowly approaching Zach the First, Danyell gently placed a hand on his shoulder before offering him a weak nod of encouragement. "...I'm sure they're fine. They're our children after all, don't doubt their strength." She finally forced out as she pulled away, reaching up to tighten her ponytail as she made her way over to Kios' side. Their best bet was to continue their efforts in helping Fuji and Nil. Chasing after the kids would only delay the help that both those nations desperately needed. It was her turn to have a little faith in her children, and practiced what she preached.

However, she'd soon find that her struggle to find patience wouldn't plague her all that long. "Leios?!" Gasping as she turned to face her young son, Danyell's expression flickered between relief and anger at an alarming rate as she tried to decide which reaction was the most appropriate in their situation. Finally settling on a temporary state of anger, she slowly clenched her teeth as Leios mentioned the mall. Despite already knowing that he'd been lying over the matter, Rohan's confirmation helped her in the sense that Leios could no longer talk himself out of his story. "Funny, it seems your friend disagrees." She grumbled lowly just before her patience burst all together. "Leios Apollyon Siopelos!” Practically growling in fury as he ignored her and moved over to greet his uncle, Danyell took in a deep breath before letting her frustration out. “I can’t believe you, mister! What on earth were you thinking?! Running off like that on your own was completely irresponsible, and extremely dangerous! Even if you won… Where is your sister? I was hoping you two would have enough common sense to at very least stick together…”

As her anger slowly turned to exhaustion, the tall brunette let out soft sigh while gently rubbing her temples. It was frustrating, however she had to have faith that Lissandra would make it back to them on her own like her brother. Liss had always been quite an independant soul. Rushing after her would only damage her pride. Not only that, but Leios and Rohan had both won their matches. Perhaps the warlords threat was more bark than bite. Relaxing slightly as Leios embraced her, Danyell gently kissed the top of his head while holding him tightly in her arms as she listened to his apology. “Liss did what?!... Wait a minute young man, her turn to get in trouble will come when she gets here. Until then you aren’t getting off that easily.” She huffed while ruffling his hair as she pulled away. “...However, I’m glad you’re safe.”

Immediately turning her attention over to Rohan at his startling remark, Danyell found herself both shocked and skeptical. “...No, I’m with Zachariah. That’s unbelievable. I fought Zofia multiple times… She’s strong, and Jove trained her himself. I’m sure this Judah man was trying get under your skin.” Her eventual response came out slow, showing hints of uncertainty, though steady nonetheless. She just couldn’t believe that a man Rohan killed managed to kill Zofia. After all, Zofia had kept up her training all these years… Hadn’t she? “R-Relax Zach, if he didn’t see it happen I’m sure the man was bluffing.”

Danyell slowly shook her head as she glanced back over to Rohan, nodding in agreement to his suggestion. "I agree, as far as we know it never even happened... I'm sure Judah was lying. No need to upset your mother over the matter."

Pausing a moment in thought, the middle aged woman found her inner thoughts beginning to slow. Her hands resting at her sides beginning to tremble slightly as she lost herself in her slight panic. Surely it was just a bluff, nothing to take to seriously... Zofia was alive and well. They'd probably hear from her in the morning.

Snapping back into reality as Rohan addressed Leios, Danyell scoffed before glancing between the two boys. "And just where do you think you two are going? You had your glory for the day. There's no way I can allow you two to run into another death match."

Iskios wrote:[Leios]He cringed when his mother yelled his full name, it had been awhile since the last time. He had known the lecture was coming since he first left the house but it was a little less intense than usual. Might have been due to the fact that she was probably worried out of her mind about them, especially considering everyone in the family did it to her at the same time. "Liss? I let her with her friends, I figured that if she was going to be doing something like this, it would be best if I wasn't there. At least for a bit. She needs some confidence in herself more than she needs my help." Their somewhat happy reunion was cut short as Rohan gave Zachariah the bad news. Leios' knees buckled a bit when he heard what Rohan said, slowly turning towards him he said, "What do you mean she's dead, how could Zofia be killed!? How could that Earth Warlord possibly defeat her."

[Kios]Kios slammed the book he was holding on the table in front of him. "They killed Zofia...and she was just here with us too." His eyebrows furrowed, "I swear, if they aren't defeated soon I'll go put an end to them myself." Sighing he sat down, the weariness of the years showing in his eyes, "To think we'd lose her now after all this time. What are we going to tell Zach and his brother, or Sehun. This should have never happened. Unfortunately I think can believe it. Zofia, she had still been dealing with the Lady of the Sand all this time. Zachariah and Danyell, you both know the side effects that afflicted her. It's not entirely implausible that in a real fight the Lady was able to get the better of her."

[Leios]Speaking to Rohan's request, "I wasn't going to let you go without me regardless. There are others in danger too and our pride isn't worth the risk." He looked back at the two he had brought with him, noticing that Kamila was standing partially behind Takumi, an odd thing to Leios as he didn't remember them being that close before. "I'll be going to Kagutsuchi, I wouldn't mind if you two tagged along but it seems you have more pressing matters personally."

[Kios]He looked to the two teens he didn't recognize when Leios mentioned their rewards then gave him an incredulous look, "You promised them something from the library...? I suppose, that I could find something worthwhile but it won't be one of a kind, I couldn't bear to let something like that be taken away from the protection the library offers." Kios then eyed Takumi curiously as he made his request to Zachariah, "The situation in Nil is rather dire as Zachariah would tell you, but I believe we can still muster some help. I've found references in a few of the books we were studying that might be of help. Not an immediate solution mind you, but one that should help alleviate the pains of the refugees in two or three weeks. There is a fast growing plant native to Fuji that when cultivated correctly will produce much larger grains than normal. It contains most of the necessary nutrients, and although the plant does not usually have the conditions necessary for this growth we can do something about that."

Naro wrote:Rohan shook his head as danyell tried to convince herself and the others that it was lie, but Judah wasn't lying... he wasn't the one to lie just to get Rohan upset. If anything, Judah would've used Rohan's family not Zofia "No Danyell... Judah might had not been the strongest warlord, but he was definitely strong... I had help from 2 other people and if it wasn't for my weird combination of Kiko and fire" he showed his broken hand wrapped in a strip of his shirt.

Rohan raised an eyebrow when he heard the name "Lady of the sand" it definitely sounded familiar but where did he hear that? He was too distracted by kios that he completely forgot about it. After a few seconds of trying to remember it finally came back "Sahara..." he said to himself as he noticed a white book on the shelf. It caught his attention for some reason so he went over to get it, it was a book about kiko! Just what he needed, since there wasn't a lot of kiko users around Rohan had to teach himself all that he knows about kiko... and it wasn't much. He's still hoping to get Jove to train him since he's a master with kiko. Snapping back to reality he took a big sigh as danyell tried to stop them "No. The fire warlord is out there in kagutsuchi... I can't let him get close to my pregnant mother. I'm sure father would protect her but my little sisters are there too, Im going to kill the fire warlord" he clenched his fist and a small flame appeared inside his eyes "I'm going to kill every single warlord" he said calming down a bit and slowly tucking the book inside his jacket "let's go Leios!" He stood by the entrance waiting for his rival.

Time skip to kagutsuchi in the next post lol

Zachariah's mind was afire. A piercing pressure building behind his eyes, looking to his dear friend "Mister Siopelos, you must consider that she gave birth twice under the Lady's watch," he made a hesitant reference to the spirit, when he did the words curled with disgust. He knew the mistakes he made in the argument, the fallacies he crafted. Zofia had been in her prime, her friend Cherry the healer had been by her side the through both of them, even during Zach'smany hours, or so he had been told. His gaze cast toward the books, shoulders tense as he, "Until we can prove anything beyond the shadow of a doubt I suggest we keep to it." He grits his teeth, disregarding most of what Kios had said. The man had always had a mind of reasoning, it was one of the things Zachariah admired about him. But now it left him agitated, his mind an unruly ball of serpents, content to stay coiled in a hazardous clot. Even Danyell's kindness was lost to him.

His brows knitted close together as they implored for his help, his gaze never drawn up from a tome in hand, his eyes centering on the embellished title, but unable to read the words. He felt a numb sort of clarity come over him, a set of phrases he'd repeated many times, to many people over the past decades when they asked for his assistance. "I am not certain of what I can do right now, the situation in Nil is... volatile. But I can utilize my own resources, those I can spare atleast-" his eyes suddenly alight with recognition at the young man who implored him. He mouth what the boy had refered to his sister as, "...Takumi?" His eyes looked pained, "Look at you, I haven't seen you since you were ten... I'm... I'm sorry you caught me at a time like this."

He takes a moment to acknowledge Leios and Rohan as they depart, wishing them good luck.

"And I'm sorry for what's happened in Fuji." His gaze sank shamefully. He was perhaps in the peak of his career, one of the three most powerful people in Ryujin, and he was helpless as anyone else. His sister maybe dead, his nephew missing, his country on the brink of shambles. He swore he saw the fate of Nil in Fuji, thus the fate of Zach in Takumi. He stared hard at the young man before him, "With Mister Siopelos' findings we will do what we can, and I mean to return to Ryujin and dispatch any assistance I may offer." He puts a firm hand on Takumi's shoulder, "You have my word." It's then he catches a glimpse of the fourth member of their party.

His heart sores for a minute at the sight of dark hair and skin, cheeks starred with freckles. He thinks for a moment his sister has returned, but the moment lasts for only a fracton of a second. This girl, her skin is too light, she's much to short, and her eyes are far from the sharp green that his family shares. There is something familiar about her that he cannot place, but he nods to her in acknowledgement, as if to say 'you also have my word Takumi's friend!'. But at his acknowledgement her eyes go wide, fear obviously takes over.

"Keep your trinkets." She hisses, taking a few hesitant steps backward before sprinting out the way they had arrived.

Kamila had never cared about the reward, she had never cared about Leios and his weird wounds, she barely even cared about Takumi and the lost cause he fought for. She just wanted to leave, her brain screaming to escape this tomb disguised as a place of knowledge. To escape the distracted gaze of the man whom her mother had loved and hated. She wished she could just dissolve into sand and stay that way, just get swept off into the corners of this place and be forgotten.

They went on and on about this woman she was related solely by blood, Kamila's own inner turmoils drowned it out, her fists clenched, nails biting into the flesh of her palms. She took the opportunity to ease herself away, backing up toward the exit.

Then his eyes finally caught hers, a slight incline of the head in acknowledgement and her mind pulsed with fear. Fear of a conversation she had never prepared herself for.She managed to defensively hiss out a few words, deceptively sharp as she fled up the stairs. Tears of panic forming in her eyes, as she stumbled through the winding stairwell up to the desert above.

DannyGirl~ wrote:As Lnna roared out what Lissandra had assumed to be her last exclamation, the young woman drew in one last breath before sending forth her final attack. A last stitch effort to swiftly bring their battle to an end once and for all. Unfortunately, Liss didn’t see any other choice set before her. All her efforts to reason with the older woman had failed, and she didn’t believe it was still possible for both of them to walk away with their lives spared. One of them was going to die. The realization caused her stomach to drop, before twisting into painful knots as she sent her fiery comet down to engulf the dome born from darkness. Perhaps she’d developed her idea for such an attack while engaging in one of her favorite activities; cooking. Heating the oven with her senshitsu had been one of the most difficult aspects in learning how to cook, and she put a lot of effort into mastering it. Sure at first things came out burnt, or cold in the center, but after studying ovens pretty extensively she managed to perfect the skill. This was essentially no different, and she’d practiced it over the years with burnt offerings at the shrine. At least that’s what she called it out of respect for Ren. In reality, she’d really just been blowing various foods up in the forest.

However, even despite all that preparation, she’d never stopped to consider that one day she might actually use the brutal attack in a real battle. If she was being perfectly honest, Lissandra had never even stopped to consider that she’d eventually face someone in serious combat. Such things had seemed to live and die along with her parents teenage years, along with all other dangers she’d once viewed as ‘exciting’.

In reality the very real possibility of killing another human being, or being killed herself, left an indescribably bitter taste on her tongue. Especially considering Lnna herself didn’t seem to be a bad person. She was also just fighting on behalf of her family.

It was like Liss was sleeping, trapped within a nightmare, and although she knew it was just that she couldn’t wake up.

She knew all the facts, and the motives, behind her opponents actions. Yet, there was still no way to change the situation, or Lnna’s viewpoint.

As Lnna managed to shoot out one last burst of water, Lissandra drew in a deep breath and tried to stay calm. Her clothing was torn and tattered, adorned with the warm crimson blood oozing from the deep cuts running up her fit frame. Frankly speaking she was a little worse for wear. She could feel the sting from each bruise plastered across her tanned skin, and was so sore she could hardly move around all that much anymore.

Flinching in anticipation as the woman’s water split to avoid her flames before launching back at her, the young woman's gaze began to flicker involuntarily. She’d lost consciousness enough amongst her years of training to know when she’d reached her limit, and she was there. A few more minutes and she’d be out cold. Wincing was the water suddenly rushed past her, Liss was shocked to discover her her wounds began to feel light. Much in contrast to her eyelids. After Lnna’s words filled her mind, the girl glanced down in horror to the blonde who was barely living inside a swiftly melting ice barrier. It was all Liss could to do act on instinct at that point.

Abruptly thrusting her hands upward to avoid hurting the other women any further, the auburn haired maiden cut of her bursts of fire as quickly as she could but still ended up shooting down into the ground with much more impact than intended. Thanks to her earlier healing, Lissandra managed to retain her consciousness as she forced herself to sit up. After a few minutes had passed she managed to shake off her stunned mindset and stumble to her feet, her legs shaking as she ran over to check on her previous opponent.

“Lnna! Lnna, are you alright?” She called out in a panic as she allowed her dark dome to subside and glanced into the mostly melted icy barrier. Tears beginning to streak down her cheeks as she scanned the woman over. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t want… I didn’t think I could r-reason with you at that point…” The young woman explained frantically, her posture stiff with tension as she prayed it wasn’t too late.

Collapsing to ground as both the heated dome of darkness and her icy barrier dissipated, Lnna coughed profusely as she lay on the barren ground. Lying there as Lissandra ran to her, she had gone limp for the most part...her body covered in burns and unconscious. Coming too, Lnna's head thumped harshly as she was awoken to the pain of her body. The world becoming lucid to her, she opened her eyes as she groaned a bit...despite her former opponent's concern, she did not appreciate the loud noise of panic. Gritting her teeth, she hissed as she nodded her head "...Kid...quiet, please" she pleaded as she took a second to breathe, water began to flow into the area as it pooled around her...a faint glow coming off it.

Sighing in relief as the cool water eased her pain. She looked up at Liss, "I...I'm okay..." she reassured "I am a Warlord...it will take more...than this to kill me. And, you're still a rookie in actual combat...you got lost in the moment". She chuckled as she lay in the water. Allowing silence to fill the void for a couple of seconds before speaking again "...you...remind me of the master, one second...fighting in a sparing match as if her life was on the line...but if she went overboard...she'd become a panicked mess..." a small smile crossed her features as she took the moment to think upon the whole scenario. "...she is...far better than you give her credit for. She is passionate, kind...and has strong beliefs" she rose as her body began to regain it's strength physically. "...I believe her to be justified..." she stated as she glared at Lissandra, her gaze softening moments later as she held out a hand in a request for help, water clinging to her body, "...but, i do see that this course is wrong"

Steadying herself as she reaffirmed herself to level ground, she acknowledged Liss "...I will follow the path i must..." she quoted, "my path is to help my mother and family. And I'll do just that, by saving my mother from this course." Stated confidently, Lnna takes hold of Liss' hand "My master...no, my mother...I will not help defeat her, nor will I stand in your, or the others way...However, if you endanger her life, i will rejoin her" placing fourth her terms of surrender and terms of neutrality, her grip tightened as a small sense of dread washed over her. "I know...you have no reason to show mercy, but please...she is OUR mother. And, i think...no, i've always known..." she spoke sullen as a tear rolled down her eye, "Deep in her heart...she still loves you all and this mission is taking a toll on her heart...i can feel it in my bones, if she continues down this path whether she wins or loses..." Taking a second to swallow the lump in her throat, she looked up with tears in her eyes "There will be nothing but guilt and pain in her future" recomposing herelf, her body had healed up rather well.

Turning away, and rubbing her eyes, she spoke again "...not everything is black in white...just keep that in mind. And, if we meet again...hopefully it can be on better terms...i'll give you a free check up and care. May the path you walk be fulfilling...goodbye, Lissandra"

Zach eyes fluttered open, for the first time since he left Ryujin he feels fully rested. It's the first time in the last long week he's woken without fragments of a dream in his morning thoughts. The sun is barely glowing through the curtains, just moments before noon.

It is then Zach realizes he has awoken on the floor.

He lets out a quiet sigh, it always happened. He hated to sound like a spoiled brat but his bed in Ryujin had been much more accommodating to his height. In this bed he hadn't been able to stretch out fully without his feet dangling off the ends. So most mornings he'd found himself on the floor. He felt he could also blame it on reluctance to be any closer to Umi than he had to be. But if anyone asked he was going to blame it on the height thing.

He seats himself upright, the soreness from sleeping on the ground easing in the dawn. He peered over the top of the bed, Umi still fast asleep. On all fours he crawls out of the room as silently as he can. Once out the door he stands up straight, catching the wary eyes of an elderly couple. He puts in palms together in an apologetic gesture before making haste down the stairwell. Wanders through the first floor, fully recovered from Duke and Shina's duel a week prior. He waves at a younger lad sweeping the floor, still surprised at all the people hes become acquainted with while they stayed here. He knew few by name, but they recognized each other faces, friendly enough, it almost reminded him of home.

He'd thought about Nil and Ryujin three times since he woke and he knew the number would grow as the day progressed. Zach takes a seat at a table with a window beside it, the sun could be sen cresting over the treeline in the distance. One of the few things that made him stop feeling homesick. The sunrise helped fill this aching hole in his chest he began to feel a day into his training. He missed Ryujin but the underground city kinda lacked for sunrises.

The server lad whom he'd waved at earlier, brings a mug from the back. A luxury he'd indulged himself with, a piping hot cup of dark roast. He takes it with thanks and enjoys his moment of quiet while he waits for the rest of his companions to wake.

Shrieking as flames suddenly circled around her, Cherokee hesitantly glanced over her shoulder as a chill ran up his spine. Out of all the creepy men to chase her in her life, this man was on a whole other level. As he approached she couldn't help but cringe. She didn't know exactly what he wanted, however something told her that it was better that way. Backing up to the edge of the flames in attempts to keep space between them, Cherry summoned water to wrap around herself to ease the unbearable heat. "We're NOT playing tag!" She huffed before stubbornly stomping her foot in rage. "And keeping a predator away from my children is not something to be mocked for! I'll have you know you only rank third or forth on my list of mentally unstable stalkers, so don't expect me to go along with anything you say!" Looking around the surrounding area in a sense of panic, Cherry gasped at the manic man's later comment. "There will be no kissing of any kind, you sicko! Kama will kill you if you touch me, you hear? You're already asking for serious jail time, and I know all the cops in town by name. They seem to like spending time with Rohan very much." Almost boasting as she confidently crossed her arms under her chest, the redhead then focused on the water dome around her. She just hoped she could keep him away for her long enough for help to arrive.

At first Lissandra could hardly breathe, placing both hands over her mouth in horror as she stared down to the limp body lying in front of her. She was far from a medical expert, and doubted basic first aid knowledge would help her revive Lnna in her current condition. Shaking as her heartbeat pounded rapidly against her chest, the young woman began to cry out for the blonde to awake once more only to be cut off. Silencing herself as she was told, Liss couldn't help but let out a long breath of relief as her previous enemy spoke. It seemed her luck had yet to run out. Though, it was hard to separate her relief from her immense feeling of being overwhelmed. Why had Lnna waited so long to decide to pull out of the battle? It had been a dangerous gamble to take, waiting to see if she had had still been willing to pull out of the fight. The warlord was either extremely brave, idiotic, unrealistically idealistic, or had a death wish. That being said, had Lissandra not witnessed her help the village earlier, which of the traits it had been would've been her downfall. It had been the only reason Liss has believed her to be a good person at heart... Though, more importantly, it also lead her to hope the woman was capable of changing.

Despite being much calmer as Lnna finally came to and hushed her, Lissandra didn't appreciate her belittling comments. Being told that she, an arena fighter by trade, as a novice in battle more than hurt her ego. However even that didn't compare to the woman's later comments. She hardly would qualify a fight to the death as a sparing match. Furthermore, she would argue that getting lost in a battle with your life on the line was more of a safety measure rather then a mark of inexperienced. After running down those analyses down in her mind, the auburn haired girl failed to see how she and Eve bore any resemblance at all. Jumping to action without spending time to weigh out all possible future negative effects was far from up her alley, and based off her current actions Liss would wager Eve was rather irrational as a whole. However she kept her distant to herself, for the sake of actually going through with killing the woman before her. Despite the woman's arrogance, it wouldn't have taken much more to kill her from within the sphere of her 'oven'. Though going through with that process again would take more out of her than the trouble was worth.

"...I won't directly fight Eve, so long as my loved ones don't require it, however I will pass along my findings. Depending on the severity of her actions in my absence, the others may seek to take her life. Know that I will not plead for her." Sighing as she turned her weary gaze to the skies above, Lissandra slowly shook her head. "Today was about proving something to myself, and I've done that, so I don't see the need to fight anymore. I think it's best if we both stay out of the conflict from here on out... Though, that being said, if ANYTHING happens to someone I care for, I won't simply turn a blind eye. In truth, this world is black and white. Everything is made up of choices, and those choices come with specific consequences whether good or bad. It is humanity who moves between deciding right and wrong, leaving the illusion of a moral gray area in life. However morals never change, it's merely our perception of them as a race that do over time... Every action has a reaction, and Eve will face her's in some means when this is over." Pausing briefly as she summoned flames to her feet, Lissandra began to hover in the air for a few more moments. "Your decision today has opened the gateway for that to be a very realistic possibility. May Eve's actions in the near future not tarnish that opportunity, I'm almost always in need of a check up." And with that, she nodded to the woman's farewell and blasted off herself. Hoping to be clear of Frost's dreaded weather as soon as possible.

Though that being said, she probably should've rested a bit before heading back to Seiya. After a long and vexing battle, Liss realistically needed some sleep and honestly more treatment. However she was used to pushing herself, and proud. Not a terribly great combination. Eventually leading to her literal downfall, whereupon her eyelids grew to heavy to bare and the young woman was sent crashing into the ground of an unknown territory. Resulting in more serious injuries than she'd previously had, and an inescapable fog of drowsiness to overtake her. Lolling the girl into a deep sleep amongst the shifty and fairly soft dirt beneath her.

Maxson was helping his adoptive parents with the reconstruction of Fuji but it was tiring. He needed a small break to take his mind elsewhere, and maybe relax since the last few days have been chaotic. He ended up losing track of time and going too far, he was new to this land but that didn’t matter right now. He looked up at the sky, and saw something... no someone falling down at a very fast speed. He couldn’t stop them from crashing into the ground but he was able to get to them pretty quick. After getting close enough he saw that it was a girl, she looked familiar, and she was badly hurt too. He rolled his chair over to her landing site “uh... hello? Are you alright?... she probably passed out why am I even bothering” he picked her up and took her back to the small refugee camp where he was staying along with Naro and Noel. Upon closer inspections he was able to recognize her “I know her!” He said as he set her down on the bed and brought bucket of hot water with a towel “you’re Danyell’s daughter, but why are you so injured?” He asked himself and he gather the right herbs and medicine to help her a bit. He wasn’t a healer but he could make her survive. She was freezing cold so she must’ve come from FDR. After cleaning her injuries and giving her meds the only thing to do left was wait a few hours till she woke up and then he can take her to a real healer.

Wincing as sunlight washed over her peaceful face, Lissandra began to to stir within her deep slumber. At first her drowsiness was simply too much for her to overcome, however overtime the young woman slowly withdrew from her dreams with a protesting whimper. Awaking to a deep ache paining the major of her body, Liss was surprised to find herself laid to rest in a bed rather than back against the dirt where she'd crash landed. Moreover her wounds seemed to be properly attended too, and even wrapped for the most part. Whoever had found her clearly knew their fair share of medical procedures. Finally noticing the boy tending to her bedside, Lissandra offered him a weak grin before favoring a puzzled inspection. For some reason he almost looked familiar... Though she would've remembered him if they had previously met right? "Do I have you to thank for this?" She finally spoke, pushing past the pain as she pushed herself into a sitting position. "You've done a remarkably well job at patching me back up, and for that you have my gratitude." Nodding in approval before gritting her teeth and stumbling to her feet, Liss then pushed onwards towards the room's door. Ignoring the embarrassment of her tattered clothing as she stepped back into her boots. "...However I must be going now... M-My team needs me... And we'll need August's help too..." Inhaling sharply as she leaned against the door to keep her balance, the young woman closed her eyes and attempted to push aside her weakness once more before opening the door. She could do this. Seiya couldn't be that far away, right?

He stay silent as he watched the wounded lissandra try to push herself out the room. She wasn’t in condition to go out there again, besides she wanted to go to seiya? That was extremely far away... she would die before even making it to the outskirts of the camp. He reached out for her hand and stopped her from going “I’m a-afraid I can’t let you do that... you’re injured and you need to let your wounds heal” he used his air seishitsu to gently push her back. He caught her then pulled her back to the bed “rest... I know you want to go and help... but you’ll be putting yourself in danger” he rolled his chair in front of the door so she won’t walk away. After a few minutes he thought about it and maybe there was a way to get her all healed up “Ms.Lissandra... I think there is a way to make you better... uh we can head to Kagutsuchi, your hometown, and see Cherokee... I heard she was an amazing healer”

Gaze softening as Rohan showed her his hand, Danyell fell silent for a short while. Helplessly consumed amongst her thoughts to keep up with the other's conversation. She couldn't help, but feel guilty. That shouldn't have happened. Neither the broken hand, nor the emotional and mental trauma that battle had subjected him to. Having to kill another person... Even she couldn't handle that. It was hard to imagine the tiny boy who used to love to send time with her had gone through something so terrible. However her horror only continued to grow as she realized her son had gone through nearly the very same burden. Despite not killing his opponent, Leios had clearly been through a lot. He'd just found people to wrap him up better than Rohan had. Which honestly only concerned her more. He was in pretty rough shape, so what had the full extent of his injuries been during the heat of battle? How long did the battle wage on, and why had he sought out the fight to being with? She really felt like a horrible mother, if not the worst mother of all time.At the end of the day, Danyell could really only blame herself. Running off in a panic to find her husband, had only left her children to do as they saw fit without her guidance. Her numerous notes posted throughout the house, were nothing compared to her being there. She should've known her children better than to trust they just go to Ellis' given the circumstances. Accidentally or no, she'd left both of her children to fight her battles. What kind of parent did that? The title of being a 'hero' meant nothing to her, as she'd only fought to protect her family in the first war. Now that another conflict had surfaced, she should've done the same thing. Iskios could look after himself, logically she should've chosen to stay with Leios and Lissandra. However thinking with her head and not her heart had never been a strong suit of hers. Snapping back into reality as Kios suddenly gave the boy's permission to leave, Danyell watched in a mixture of shock and horror as they left. "...I didn't have a say in that?! What is wrong with you Iskios?! That's our son! And Rohan is the son of our friends! Do you really think Cherry is going to feel any more at peace with Rohan killing than I am with Leios?! That's traumatizing! They should never have been out there fighting our battles, much less with permission! What kind of parents are we?!" She burst just the the door the the library slid shut, staring her husband down with more furry filling her eyes then she'd held in years.

"It has been a while, Uncle" takumi noted as he followed the melancholic example of his 'Uncle'. "I know things are tough, and i am sorry to have to ask favors from you during this time" he bowed apologetically. Looking up at the older man as Zachariah placed a hand on his shoulder, his brows furrowed in frustration...he hated asking for help, but as of now...his home was far more important than his pride. "Thank you, Uncle Zachariah..." he noted with a content smile.

Turning as his travel partner rushed off, Takumi raised a brow in confusion with Zach, "...no idea..." he groaned "She isn't exactly a 'Friendly' person" shaking his head as he turned from the group. "I might as well check on her regardless. Thank you again, Uncle...and, i'm sure Auntie Zofia is fine" Giving a wave he went after Kamilla.

Finally catching up with Kamilla in sight, he let out a huff of annoyance, 'What's her problem now...' He thought, his patience with Kamilla's disposition running a bit low. She was just too unapproachable at times, and a ass. Working up the nerve he started toward her, 'I should just leave her...she can calm down from her fits and follow whenever...or die...'. Chuckling before frowning at the action, mentally reprimanding himself for the rather harsh idea. "Hey Kamilla" he called approaching her "You're being a bit more of a brat then normal, what the hell is the...the...problem now..." he started rather confidently, but his bravado sputtered out as he noticed her heaving, and cursing. Frowning as he awkwardly pushed his pink hair aside, "Uhh...Kamilla?"

Staring at the woman before him, he paused as they stood in silence. Trembling as he covered his mouth, a suppressed muffle coming from him. Not able to hold it any longer, he burst out in laughter "KAHAHAHA!" the cackling rung through the air as he gripped his sides, "Ahahaha...oh...aha...haaaa" wiping a tear away, he looked back at her hiding in the dome "Oh, man....Mother told me you weren't the brightest, but i didn't think you'd be full blown retarded! Ahahaha!!!"

Calming down he took a moment to breathe, "You misunderstand lady..." he spoke as he approached her "I don't want some fat pregnant lady like you" he growled out as the flames around them intensifies "To be honest, i'd rather kill you. Slowly, mind you....slowly" pressing his face near the dome with a rabbid look in his eyes, he pulled away "Buuuuuuut, my master wants you alive...or, at the least the brat in you. ya following this?" He mocked as he looked towards the house in the distance. "But, *gasp* she ain't here!" He noted pointing out looking to her with an excited grin "So...that stands to mean, she can't stop me from gutting you like a fish. And it'd be just a shame if we had to hurt the little fish in that belly....riiiight~" moving in a flash and looking into the dome, he could have easily blown the dome apart, but he'd probably damage her in the process. Groaning in boredom as he stared at Cherry, staring at her belly, "Oy....how about we play a NEW game?" a sadistic grin rose as he craned up to look at her "It's called: How much does Mommy love her kids"

Standing up and quickly moving away he stood facing the direction of the house tge flames slowly began to leak towards him, slithering over the ground as he stared the building down. "The rules are simple: Give up, and come with me to my master...so we can keep that baby of yours safe!" He explained excitedly. "However..." je spoke lowly as he raised his hand, the area fuming as his magic power erupted, the flames began flying towards him, gathering in hus hand. An orb of fire and heat generating at his palm, the sheer intensity of the energy gathered caused the ground to blacken from the scorching heat "Refuse; and i blast that building to the depths of Hell" he laughed sadisticly as he continued building power in his shot, "I have doubts if i could kill EVERYONE with this blast, what i am sure of...is that the kiddies sure won't" turning to look at Cherry he grinned from ear to ear, the bloodlust in his eyes glowing crimson as he chuckled "So...what'll it be? How much do you love those kids you wanted to protect?"

Derekjay2000 wrote:"It has been a while, Uncle" takumi noted as he followed the melancholic example of his 'Uncle'. "I know things are tough, and i am sorry to have to ask favors from you during this time" he bowed apologetically. Looking up at the older man as Zachariah placed a hand on his shoulder, his brows furrowed in frustration...he hated asking for help, but as of now...his home was far more important than his pride. "Thank you, Uncle Zachariah..." he noted with a content smile.

Turning as his travel partner rushed off, Takumi raised a brow in confusion with Zach, "...no idea..." he groaned "She isn't exactly a 'Friendly' person" shaking his head as he turned from the group. "I might as well check on her regardless. Thank you again, Uncle...and, i'm sure Auntie Zofia is fine" Giving a wave he went after Kamilla.

Finally catching up with Kamilla in sight, he let out a huff of annoyance, 'What's her problem now...' He thought, his patience with Kamilla's disposition running a bit low. She was just too unapproachable at times, and a ass. Working up the nerve he started toward her, 'I should just leave her...she can calm down from her fits and follow whenever...or die...'. Chuckling before frowning at the action, mentally reprimanding himself for the rather harsh idea. "Hey Kamilla" he called approaching her "You're being a bit more of a brat then normal, what the hell is the...the...problem now..." he started rather confidently, but his bravado sputtered out as he noticed her heaving, and cursing. Frowning as he awkwardly pushed his pink hair aside, "Uhh...Kamilla?"

"I've known a few young ladies like that in my time. Can't say it turned out well for me. Pursue with caution Takumi." The older man nodded knowingly, his tone joking but it felt wrong to him. He was trying best to make light of the situation, trying to keep darker thoughts at bay.But he bid Takumi farewell with a sincere laught, fading almost immediatley after the mention of his sisters name."I hope so, for all our sakes." He murmurs under his breath.------------------------------------------------------------Kamila is trying her best not to cry. Her eyes full of tears of panic and her breathing turned to uncomfortable hiccuping. Even with her pounding heartbeat echoing in her head she hears the sound of approaching foot steps. She feared the councilman may have persued her, recognition hitting him after she left. She jolts for the ladder that leads to the surface but only gets a single hand on the first rung when the pursuer calls to her."Takumi?" She's relieved, her voice fluctuats as her chest tries to choke out another sob. She lets out another curse, trying to establish her self control again. "There is no problem." She corrects sharply. "What?" She saw something in his expression, confusion? Concern? No, she saw pity in his gaze. "What?!" she repeated, harsher this time, "Stop- stop looking at me like that." She hisses.

Rohan tighten the piece of his shirt that he wrapped around his broken hand while waiting for Leios to reply, but Rohan was pretty annoyed while waiting. “Wait... Why the f@ck am I️ asking you permission to leave? I’m Rohan Yosenju... and I’m not waiting for you.” It was about time to find the fire warlord and end him. Even Judah told Rohan that he should end him... He was a bit more worried about this one because it was closer to home, and his family was in danger. He heard some loud noises coming from Leios’ neighborhood and saw some flames bigger than the houses. He turned to face Leios then took off in that direction.A few minutes earlier...“Alright Cherry, don’t go too far” Kama said as he watched his wife go outside with the present Adrianne gave her. He reached out and picked up both of his little girls, and sat down with them. "Must be hard to be the Queen of Seiya...” Kama said, trying to start a conversation. He heard a loud noise coming from outside, maybe Cherry dropped the box... “Cherry? Everything alright honey?” He stood up, and gave the girls to Adrianne. He peeked out the window, but he didn’t see anyone so he immediately went outside so check things out. He saw the fire a block away, and didn’t see Cherry or anyone around the house. Kama noticed the box on the floor door... Before he could move Rohan came running from the street to his right. “Rohan?”Rohan stopped to catch his breath, and tighten the pice of cloth on his hand “Dad!”"Did you see you mother out here?” Kama was beginning to be scared, what if Cherry was by the flames. “Stay with yo-“ Kama didn’t get to finish the sentence, since Rohan immediately ran towards the flames. He ran as fast as he couldn’t, and as he got closer he noticed 2 people inside... One of them he recognized as his mom and the other... must be the fire warlord. Rohan was able to hear part of their conversation... and he didn’t like what he heard. He gather the combination of kiko and fire on his legs to create a small explosion to boost him. After that he used his fire to keep him going. He went though the wall of fire and grabbed the fire warlord by his shirt collar and took him. They both were frying through the houses, and stores till they finally reached the forest near the volcano “YOU DARE TO THREATEN MY MOTHER?” He forced his broken right hand into fight, then proceed to pummel his face but Rohan didn’t know if using his broken hand was the right choice.

DannyGirl~ wrote:Gaze softening as Rohan showed her his hand, Danyell fell silent for a short while. Helplessly consumed amongst her thoughts to keep up with the other's conversation. She couldn't help, but feel guilty. That shouldn't have happened. Neither the broken hand, nor the emotional and mental trauma that battle had subjected him to. Having to kill another person... Even she couldn't handle that. It was hard to imagine the tiny boy who used to love to send time with her had gone through something so terrible. However her horror only continued to grow as she realized her son had gone through nearly the very same burden. Despite not killing his opponent, Leios had clearly been through a lot. He'd just found people to wrap him up better than Rohan had. Which honestly only concerned her more. He was in pretty rough shape, so what had the full extent of his injuries been during the heat of battle? How long did the battle wage on, and why had he sought out the fight to being with?She really felt like a horrible mother, if not the worst mother of all time.At the end of the day, Danyell could really only blame herself. Running off in a panic to find her husband, had only left her children to do as they saw fit without her guidance. Her numerous notes posted throughout the house, were nothing compared to her being there. She should've known her children better than to trust they just go to Ellis' given the circumstances. Accidentally or no, she'd left both of her children to fight her battles. What kind of parent did that? The title of being a 'hero' meant nothing to her, as she'd only fought to protect her family in the first war. Now that another conflict had surfaced, she should've done the same thing. Iskios could look after himself, logically she should've chosen to stay with Leios and Lissandra. However thinking with her head and not her heart had never been a strong suit of hers.Snapping back into reality as Kios suddenly gave the boy's permission to leave, Danyell watched in a mixture of shock and horror as they left. "...I didn't have a say in that?! What is wrong with you Iskios?! That's our son! And Rohan is the son of our friends! Do you really think Cherry is going to feel any more at peace with Rohan killing than I am with Leios?! That's traumatizing! They should never have been out there fighting our battles, much less with permission! What kind of parents are we?!" She burst just the the door the the library slid shut, staring her husband down with more furry filling her eyes then she'd held in years.

[Kios]He watched as his son and Rohan left the Library, allowing himself a smirk. Turns out he was proud of his son. "I wonder how Lissandra is doing right now. I know for a fact she went after a warlord as well considering her personality. Hopefully she comes here after-" His thoughts were physically interrupted by the piercing scowl of his wife. It was at this moment he knew he messed up. "Aha I was uh thinking that urgency was of the essence. I can't exactly go out and help them at the moment because I need to take care of other matters. No point in crying over spilled milk...and it's not spilled milk, it's our son. Yeah I get what you mean Danyell." Kios put a hand to his chin trying to figure out how he could word it without angering her further, "The way I see it, is that there might be a situation like this when we're not around or capable of helping them. Then what? What if they're not strong enough to protect their families because we didn't let them experience a real fight now. These warlords weren't the first upstarts to attempt something like this in our time, though they were by far the strongest to date. I doubt they'll be the last. They chose this on their own, so why don't we let them take this opportunity when we're still able to join the fight if it's necessary." He patted her head smiling, "Neither of us wanted our children to have to go through what we did, but since destiny seems to have other plans as their parents we can't leave them unprepared either."

Lissandra froze as the boy's hand suddenly shot out to engulf hers, shocked that a complete stranger would feel comfortable acting in such a way. After all she wasn't exactly the most inviting person, and the extended to her body language. Taking in a deep breath as she ripped her hand from his grasp, the young woman winced before let out a soft tsk in annoyance. "Well, it's a good thing you don't have a say in the matter-" Liss started before flinching slightly as a sudden force hit her just hard enough to push her back onto the boy's lap. For a moment she remained silent, her usual passive expression turning ever so silently red from both embarrassment and anger. "This is NOT how you pick up chicks." She warned bluntly, her tone beginning to show traces of hostility as he then wheeled her over to the bed. Fighting back slightly as he set her back into the mattress, Liss eventually gave in for fear of accidentally injuring the boy. Something about him made him appear rather delicate. "If you weren't in a wheelchair I swear I'd-!" Gritting her teeth as pain shot through her shoulder, the young girl forced back any form of cry as she placed a hand over the stabbing sensation. This wasn't how she'd planned her victory ending at all. How could she still be so badly injured? After Lnna healed her too... Using her free hand to hold up her throbbing head, Lissandra cursed her own limitations. Healing didn't supply her with magic energy, after all her years of training she should've known that. She was drained, and was still feeling the after effects of that. Glaring at the boy as he wheeled back in front of the door, Lissandra allowed herself to simply fall back against the bed in frustration. What did he know of her reasonings, and the danger awaiting her outside the room? None of this was his business! "You want to go all the way to Kagutsuchi, but you question Seiya?! Wait... How do you know my name? And my hometown?!" Jolting up from the bed as she drew her knife from her thigh, the young woman's expression immediately darkened. "If you're a warloser 'sparing' me because of my deal with Lnna, I'll have you know being held against my will wasn't part of the agreement. Where the **** am I? And who are you?"

Maxson stayed quiet while she ranted about something, he shook his head and went over by the door “I’m not one of those warlord you’re after, if i was then you would already be dead... but i guess you can’t just believe me... wait here for a few seconds.” He went outside and came back a few seconds later just like he said “you don’t know me but know you, and i was at your house for a few minutes some days ago”

Behind him Naro came into the room “what is it maxson? I’m very busy with the task Grace gave me” he looked at the injured girl laying on the bed and it took him a few seconds to recognize her “oh! You’re kios’ daughter! Nice to see you’re doing ok.” He then walked out and maxson had the biggest face palm of his life “that wasn’t what i wanted him to do... anyway, I’m maxson. Naro’s adopted child. Now listen to me...” he went over to her bed and grabbed a water bottle and gave it to her “i can get your to kagutsuchi but you have to trust in me” he extended his hand in order to help her up now it was up to her “sorry about freaking you out and pushing you down with my wind seishitsu “

Rohan tighten the piece of his shirt that he wrapped around his broken hand while waiting for Leios to reply, but Rohan was pretty annoyed waiting “wait... why the f@ck am I asking you permission to leave? I’m Rohan Yosenju... and I’m not waiting for you.” It was about time to find the fire warlord and end him. Even Judah told Rohan that he should end him... he was a bit more worried about this one because it was closer to home, and his family was in danger. He heard some loud noises coming from leios’ neighborhood and saw some flames bigger than the houses. He turned to face Leios then took off in that direction.

A few minutes earlier...“Alright Cherry, don’t go too far” Kama said as he watched his wife go outside with the present Adrianne gave her. He reached out and picked up both of his little girl and sat down with them “must be hard to be the queen of Seiya...” Kama said trying to start a conversation. He heard a loud noise coming from outside, maybe cherry dropped the box... “cherry? Everything alright honey?” He stood up and gave the girl to Adrianne. He peeked out the window but he didn’t see anyone so he immediately went outside so check things out. He saw the fire a block away and didn’t see cherry anyone around the house. Kama noticed the box on the floor door... before he couldn’t move Rohan came running from the street to his right “Rohan?”

Rohan stopped to catch his breath and tighten the pice of cloth on his hand “Dad!”

“Did you see you mother out here?” Kama was beginning to be scared, what if Cherry was by the flames “stay with yo-“ Kama didn’t get to finish his sentence since Rohan immediately ran towards the flames. He ran as fast as he couldn’t and as he got closer he noticed 2 people inside... one of them he recognized as his mom and the other... must be the fire warlord. Rohan was able to hear part of their conversation... and he didn’t like what he heard. He gather the combination of kiko and fire on his legs to create a small explosion to boost him. He was launched towards the wall of fire, too keep the momentum going he use fire from his feet like a rocket to keep him going. After getting inside the wall of fire he tackled the fire warlord but he wasn’t gonna stop there. The fire boosting him became stronger making them keep going, they broke through a house, then through a small store they finally landed a few houses away. Rohan was too furious to feel the pain in his broken hand so he forced it into a fist “YOU THINK YOU CAN THREATEN MY MOTHER?” He yelled out as he tried to pummel him with his broken hand... which wasn’t the best idea at the moment. Rohan probably caused more damage to him that he did to the warlord.

Lissandra hesitated as the boy began to explain himself, slowly sliding her hairstick back into her ponytail as she sat back onto the edge of the bed. He had a point. The other warlosers probably had no idea about her and Lnna's deal... Seeing her so badly injured on the ground would've been the perfect time to kill her. However she was still cautious of the boy, wheelchair or no his comment about knowing her set her on edge. On top of that he said he'd been to her house. Was he some sort of fanboy from her arena matches? While she had encountered some weirdos from that, she'd never actually been held in a room against her will. That would certainly make an interesting story to tell her future kids someday though. Glancing up to the new man the boy had brought to the room, Lissandra immediately relaxed. It was hard not to recognize the man who had peeped on a warlord back at the Yosenju's party. Something she would never unsee, yet was still slightly amused by. Rohan was an idiot. "Mr. Naro-" She started softly, only for him to quickly leave the room. Grace was there too then? Eyes widening at Maxson's introduction, Liss finally realized why he seemed familiar. "You're the Maxson who would never come out to see me when I visit the orphanage after my training and matches!" Exhaling slowly as she finally relaxed, the young woman reached out and accepted the water bottle from him. Then again, she didn't remember him ever leaving the orphanage... And she had visited just last week... Or was it two weeks ago? How long had she been out? "When were you adopted?" She finally asked, pausing a moment before reluctantly accepting his hand. Oh, wind senshitsu. That explained her being knocked over earlier. Unfortunately she still couldn't think straight thanks to her pounding head and slightly blurred vision. "But I need to get to Seiya, my team is waiting for me there... That includes your sister Noel, and Natsumi Yosenju. She's far more skilled than her mother at healing." Liss explained, however deep down she knew he was right. If Seiya was far away the risk was too great to take. Even she recognized that she needed a healer that was close by. "...I guess I have no choice." She muttered softly under her voice, turning her head from him as she grumbled submissively. If he was Grace's son, that was enough reason to trust him right?

DannyGirl~ wrote:Gaze softening as Rohan showed her his hand, Danyell fell silent for a short while. Helplessly consumed amongst her thoughts to keep up with the other's conversation. She couldn't help, but feel guilty. That shouldn't have happened. Neither the broken hand, nor the emotional and mental trauma that battle had subjected him to. Having to kill another person... Even she couldn't handle that. It was hard to imagine the tiny boy who used to love to send time with her had gone through something so terrible. However her horror only continued to grow as she realized her son had gone through nearly the very same burden. Despite not killing his opponent, Leios had clearly been through a lot. He'd just found people to wrap him up better than Rohan had. Which honestly only concerned her more. He was in pretty rough shape, so what had the full extent of his injuries been during the heat of battle? How long did the battle wage on, and why had he sought out the fight to being with? She really felt like a horrible mother, if not the worst mother of all time.At the end of the day, Danyell could really only blame herself. Running off in a panic to find her husband, had only left her children to do as they saw fit without her guidance. Her numerous notes posted throughout the house, were nothing compared to her being there. She should've known her children better than to trust they just go to Ellis' given the circumstances. Accidentally or no, she'd left both of her children to fight her battles. What kind of parent did that? The title of being a 'hero' meant nothing to her, as she'd only fought to protect her family in the first war. Now that another conflict had surfaced, she should've done the same thing. Iskios could look after himself, logically she should've chosen to stay with Leios and Lissandra. However thinking with her head and not her heart had never been a strong suit of hers. Snapping back into reality as Kios suddenly gave the boy's permission to leave, Danyell watched in a mixture of shock and horror as they left. "...I didn't have a say in that?! What is wrong with you Iskios?! That's our son! And Rohan is the son of our friends! Do you really think Cherry is going to feel any more at peace with Rohan killing than I am with Leios?! That's traumatizing! They should never have been out there fighting our battles, much less with permission! What kind of parents are we?!" She burst just the the door the the library slid shut, staring her husband down with more furry filling her eyes then she'd held in years.

Iskios wrote:

DannyGirl~ wrote:Gaze softening as Rohan showed her his hand, Danyell fell silent for a short while. Helplessly consumed amongst her thoughts to keep up with the other's conversation. She couldn't help, but feel guilty. That shouldn't have happened. Neither the broken hand, nor the emotional and mental trauma that battle had subjected him to. Having to kill another person... Even she couldn't handle that. It was hard to imagine the tiny boy who used to love to send time with her had gone through something so terrible. However her horror only continued to grow as she realized her son had gone through nearly the very same burden. Despite not killing his opponent, Leios had clearly been through a lot. He'd just found people to wrap him up better than Rohan had. Which honestly only concerned her more. He was in pretty rough shape, so what had the full extent of his injuries been during the heat of battle? How long did the battle wage on, and why had he sought out the fight to being with?She really felt like a horrible mother, if not the worst mother of all time.At the end of the day, Danyell could really only blame herself. Running off in a panic to find her husband, had only left her children to do as they saw fit without her guidance. Her numerous notes posted throughout the house, were nothing compared to her being there. She should've known her children better than to trust they just go to Ellis' given the circumstances. Accidentally or no, she'd left both of her children to fight her battles. What kind of parent did that? The title of being a 'hero' meant nothing to her, as she'd only fought to protect her family in the first war. Now that another conflict had surfaced, she should've done the same thing. Iskios could look after himself, logically she should've chosen to stay with Leios and Lissandra. However thinking with her head and not her heart had never been a strong suit of hers.Snapping back into reality as Kios suddenly gave the boy's permission to leave, Danyell watched in a mixture of shock and horror as they left. "...I didn't have a say in that?! What is wrong with you Iskios?! That's our son! And Rohan is the son of our friends! Do you really think Cherry is going to feel any more at peace with Rohan killing than I am with Leios?! That's traumatizing! They should never have been out there fighting our battles, much less with permission! What kind of parents are we?!" She burst just the the door the the library slid shut, staring her husband down with more furry filling her eyes then she'd held in years.

[Kios]He watched as his son and Rohan left the Library, allowing himself a smirk. Turns out he was proud of his son. "I wonder how Lissandra is doing right now. I know for a fact she went after a warlord as well considering her personality. Hopefully she comes here after-" His thoughts were physically interrupted by the piercing scowl of his wife. It was at this moment he knew he messed up. "Aha I was uh thinking that urgency was of the essence. I can't exactly go out and help them at the moment because I need to take care of other matters. No point in crying over spilled milk...and it's not spilled milk, it's our son. Yeah I get what you mean Danyell." Kios put a hand to his chin trying to figure out how he could word it without angering her further, "The way I see it, is that there might be a situation like this when we're not around or capable of helping them. Then what? What if they're not strong enough to protect their families because we didn't let them experience a real fight now. These warlords weren't the first upstarts to attempt something like this in our time, though they were by far the strongest to date. I doubt they'll be the last. They chose this on their own, so why don't we let them take this opportunity when we're still able to join the fight if it's necessary." He patted her head smiling, "Neither of us wanted our children to have to go through what we did, but since destiny seems to have other plans as their parents we can't leave them unprepared either."

Zachariah's focus had fallen away from his comrades as he watched Takumi run off after his friend. He could hear them speaking, just behind him and he was immediately consumed with guilt. In his rush of confusion, grief and anger he'd simply pressed Rohan for questions about his sister. The fact Cherry's boy had killed a man had been lost on him. The councilman recalled when Jove posed a threat to everyone on the continent and he had been drafted into the army. He heaved a sigh, he would have been Rohan's age too. Crossing his arms he sighed, "This is quite a conundrum my friends." Putting on a more confident posture he verbally sorted through his situation.

"Takumi needs my help, rather Fuji need Nil's help." He began, "I should return to Ryujin to send out those troops and supplies, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our study time short Mr. Siopelos." He cracked a bit of a smile, but it didn't last, "I will keep an ear out for anything from my sister, I assume I can count on you two to do the same? As go for your children and Zach as well." Thought's of the children sprung a thought he hadn't considered,.

"Has anyone heard from Eve recently?" He hadn't seen the woman in almost a decade, she was much closer to his sister after all, but her son was acting as an envoy for her country, he shook his head, "She's probably in the thick of it., in Fuji." He mumbles.

Feeling awkward to be caught in the middle of their marital disagreement but also very eager to have the situation dealt with. The councilman begins collecting his scattered notes and tomes, but puts together an attempt to soften the mood before he leaves. Can't leave these two fighting, that just wasn't the Fahlih way. His shoulders sagged and he ran his hand through his now unkempt hair, "The stress is going to make be go grey..." he groaned, "I'll still be handsome though, right Mrs. Siopelos? Is it true women think men with a little bit of gray are distinguished?" He cracked the joke, looking innocently at the couple.

Natsumi had always been a morning person, so it’d made the most sense that she be the one to train early with Orion. Even if it was a great deal before the sunrise. Meanwhile, Zach had been training with their new teacher at night. Honestly, she wasn’t really sure what Zach’s exprience had been, however she she being to see the negitatives of suddenly running off to fight a war. On top of knowing literally almost nothing about the self proclaimed ‘warlords’, her training had called to question what she really knew about herself. Not that such a thought wasn’t already a daily occurance, Orion’s causal interogations had just started to set her off. Questions like, “Why can you heal with water, yet not use it in combat?” Really cut Umi deep, because she herself had always longed to know the answer. Why couldn’t she? Was there something wrong with her? If she was brutily honest, she already knew the answer to that last question. Of course there was. Ever since she was little, all she could remember was mud. Playing in it, only to be told she was filthy. Making mudpies, only to make her brother extremely sick. Mud was gross, something to be avoided. She was it’s summoner. Therefore, she was gross, and someone to avoid.Wasn’t that how it worked?She didn’t understand why it had to be that way. Why did she alone carry such a undesirable senshitsu? Everyone else’s was so cool… All the heroes children had been given abilities which gave them an advantage in life. Meanwhile only one of them had ever found her’s to be ‘cool’, and in the end he’d rejected her too. Awaking that morning, once again, after sunlight had fully engulfed the inn, the young maiden begruggingly forced her heavy limbs up from the warmth and comfort of her bed. Eagerly swinging her head back aroung to wake her companion, Umi found that she was all alone. Again. The idea always made her smile fall, and a slight shiver run up her spine. Since she awoke so early for training, she always ended up sleeping in much later than Zach once she returned back to he slumber afterwards. The first day this had really freaked her out, however she knew at that point that he’d be down having breakfast. Though truthfully, there was always the slightest bit of hesitance in the back of her mind. Just enough that she couldn’t shake it. First Liss, then Noel… It was hard to believe Zach wouldn’t eventually leave her too. All of their group had begun to disolve with little to no warning. Taking a deep breath as her shook such thoughts aside, Natsumi quickly changed and brushed out her vibrant crimson locks before heading out to meet Zach. Sprinting down the stairs out of habit, Umi forced her usual grin back onto her lips as she offered a polite wave to those she passed. Finally slowly to a halt as she reached her usually seat at the counter, she cleared her throat and bumped Zach’s shoulder to make her presence known. “Morning Sugar! Always in a hurry for that coffee, huh?” She lightly jested while raising a hand to order her ‘usual’. Aka, the best french toast and homemade peach cobbler she’d ever tasted. Her sweet tooth gave it an 11/10 with every bite. How she’d survive without it back home, was quite possibly the greatest mystery to ever confront mankind. “…I don’t suppose Liss is back yet?… She’s overdo… Which isn’t like her at all.” The tone to her voice dampened drastically as she finally brought up the issue she’d avoided entirely the day before. With their training finally brought to a close, the issue really couldn’t be ignored any longer. Something just wasn’t right.

While Iskios did seem to realize his error, his reaction made it clear that he didn't truly regret anything. Other than being caught, as he sent his own son off to fight a criminally insane organization who destroyed a mansion in the middle of a party for no reason save to say hello. Yet he carried on as if he with being perfectly logical. As if his action had benefited everyone in some way, though she failed to follow his explanation. "Then you train them to defend themselves from normal threats, Iskios! Thieves, gang members, and other difficulties a normal family might occasionally face! Not send them off to fight in battles that might very well kill them, for no reason save to boost your ego!" Immediately pulling back as he reached down to pat the top of her head, Danyell shot him a cold hard glare. Over the years she'd been extremely lenient when it came to dealing with her husband's antics. Usually allowing him off with a hug, kiss, or date of some sort. However her love for him would not blind her from this particular disagreement. Winning it meant far too much for her. "I don't want our kids to be heroes... I want them to have a chance at normalcy, a chance we were never given! Let them enjoy their childhoods, and hold on to their innocence... When the world comes crashing down, the weight of it shouldn't always fall on our family's shoulders! The 'heroes' have done enough! Our children shouldn't have to continue carrying around that burden!" Fists shaking as she clenched them tightly, the brunette turned from him as she tried to once again collect herself. It had been quite a while since something had angered her to such a degree. Honestly, the sensation took her back to her youth. Back to when they'd all been fighting against Jove for the sake of humanity. Though that threat had been dealt with, the new pressure felt rather similar. Like she was being attacked all over again, though this time by fate. After all, there they were. Attempting to fix the world after a part of it had literally fallen apart. It was a never ending cycle. One which she'd never dare wish upon anyone else, especially her children. Taking in a deep breath as Zachariah announced his parting, Danyell merely nodded her promise as he asked them to keep an ear out for word from his sister. She couldn't believe a crazy 'warlord' had a breath of hoping to defeat someone like Zofia. Despite her husband's thoughts on the matter, she was current the women was out there somewhere... Save and sound. Hesitating slightly as he then asked inquired about Eve, Danyell slowly turned to face him before shaking her head. "Rarely ever after she left that day with Saron, after the battle with Jove... Though that itself feels like just yesterday." Wrapping her arms around as a chill ran down her spine, the woman slowly let out a tired sigh. How had time escaped them so quickly? She could still remember those years of war in perfect clarity, yet the world itself had all by forgotten such events. Their tribulations were merely pages in a history book now. Yet it still feel so real. "She never took a liking to Kios." Adding softly as she continued to ignore her husband, Danyell's eyes widened in surprise at the man's sudden jest. However, given a bit of time, her shoulder's began to relax, and a soft series of chuckles escaped her. "So I hear, though Kios hasn't gotten there yet." She jested back quietly, before lightly continuing on. "Don't worry Zachariah, you're plenty handsome. Gray hair or no."

Sammich wrote: "I've known a few young ladies like that in my time. Can't say it turned out well for me. Pursue with caution Takumi." The older man nodded knowingly, his tone joking but it felt wrong to him. He was trying best to make light of the situation, trying to keep darker thoughts at bay.But he bid Takumi farewell with a sincere laught, fading almost immediatley after the mention of his sisters name."I hope so, for all our sakes." He murmurs under his breath.------------------------------------------------------------Kamila is trying her best not to cry. Her eyes full of tears of panic and her breathing turned to uncomfortable hiccuping. Even with her pounding heartbeat echoing in her head she hears the sound of approaching foot steps. She feared the councilman may have persued her, recognition hitting him after she left. She jolts for the ladder that leads to the surface but only gets a single hand on the first rung when the pursuer calls to her."Takumi?" She's relieved, her voice fluctuats as her chest tries to choke out another sob. She lets out another curse, trying to establish her self control again. "There is no problem." She corrects sharply. "What?" She saw something in his expression, confusion? Concern? No, she saw pity in his gaze. "What?!" she repeated, harsher this time, "Stop- stop looking at me like that." She hisses.

Freezing up as she began to bark at him. He would have shrugged it off as her returning to her normal self. He knew better, "Last time I checked you arn't the boss of me" he retorted in a growl before groaning. "I'll never understand why people always try the i'm fine bit...Kamilla, you looked about ready to have a break down" He spoke softly at this point "So, I'll ask again...what's wrong? People don't normal run off after being offered an reward, not to mention you were cowering behind me!" he spoke with a questioning look "You: cowering....behind me?" He paused letting it sink in.

Rubbing the back of his neck as he had nervously glanced at the ground, 'this is soooo not my forte' he quipped in his mind. "Look...I know we arn't....friends....but, i assure you that you can talk to me." He took a few careful steps, knowing how volatile she was without being agitated. "It's my duty: I might know how you feel or something..."

Maxson answered with a nod then continued to think of a way to get to Kagutsuchi quickly. He placed a hand on his chin as an idea finally came across his mind... but liss might not like it. He turned to face her once again then signal to follow him with his hand. He opened the door and waited for her outside “Ms. lissandra... i don’t think you’ve heard of what happened to Fuji recently” once she walked out side she’ll see all the survivors in the crumbles of what they once called home. People from all ages needing help “I have an idea of how to get to Kagutsuchi... It won’t take long with this method... Dad!” He called out for Naro who quickly came to his call “yes?”

“Lissandra and I need to get to Kagutsuchi quickly, so maybe you could help us with that... after all your seishitsu makes you extremely fast. I just need your to push my wheelchair and take us to Lissandra’s house”